Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Monster Mash Cookies

Do you remember the Monster Mash? It seemed like when I was a kid, Hallowe'en at school meant (horribly re-enacted) Thriller dance-offs and a mass Monster Mash bonanza at lunch. Now that I'm back in a school environment as a teacher, I've been re-living Hallowe'en vicariously through the students. It's hard to match the excitement of a child anticipating a special day, and when candy's involved? Batten down the hatches!

As part of the Hallowe'en festivities every year, we invite the kids and their parents to a school-thrown party the Friday before the big day. While it is technically a fundraiser, it's more an excuse to gather outside of the cloud of school and work and have some fun! Although the tickets into the party are cheap (2 for $5 I believe), our school makes a killing with the bake sale table - not only are the foods donated (the staff and some of the parents get hit up for goodies) but it's a cornucopia of treats that both adults and children can enjoy. My donation this year was twofold - one round box contained moist, whole wheat and sunflower seed apple muffins, the other (our family's signature "cookie tin") packed with a batch of goodies that I deemed Monster Mash Cookies.

The name is pretty fitting, when you think about it - these are packed with both candy coated chocolate and chocolate chips before getting a "fur coat" of sprinkles! They have a hidden touch of ricotta cheese that keeps them moist and chewy without being so soft they disintegrate, making them just as delicious two days out as the day you bake them (if you keep them in an airtight container).

Monster Mash Cookies

Monster Mash Cookies
Adapted from Pastry Affair
Makes 36
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ cup non-hydrogenated shortening
¼ cup ricotta (I used homemade Richer Ricotta)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg
150g (two "super-pack" boxes) Smarties chocolate candy (or M&M's)
⅓ cup miniature chocolate chips ½ cup sprinkles, for crusting (pick colours to suit your season, cause or holiday!)
  1. Preheat oven to 375F
  2. Beat together the sugars, salt, shortening and ricotta until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and corn syrup until well blended.
  4. Add the flour, baking soda and nutmeg, followed by the Smarties and chocolate chips.
  5. Pour sprinkles into a shallow dish. Scoop balls of dough and lightly press the tops in the sprinkles to crust.
  6. Bake for 13 minutes.
  7. Cool completely on sheets.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 134.3
Total Fat: 6.9 g
Cholesterol: 12.4 mg
Sodium: 49.3 mg
Total Carbs: 19.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
Protein: 1.4 g

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